Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States. Despite this fact, traditional treatment centers are still somewhat behind the times when it comes to treating marijuana abuse and marijuana addiction.

Most traditional drug rehab programs still cluster treatment participants together in an effort to treat all types of addictions in one setting at one time. Although it is possible to treat different types of addiction in the same setting – it is contraindicated to treat all addictions in the same way.

Here are some important facts:

• There is a difference between drug abuse and drug addiction.
• There is also a difference between types of drugs of abuse. (i.e., cocaine abuse is different than marijuana abuse.)

IMPORTANT: Because of these facts treatment for marijuana abuse and marijuana addiction has to be approached in a very unique fashion usually not available in traditional drug and alcohol treatment centers.

Understanding How to Effectively Treat Marijuana Abuse and Marijuana Addiction

In furthering your understanding of how to effectively treat these conditions you first have to understand a little about the difference between the conditions themselves.

Marijuana Abuse:

Marijuana abuse is typically manifested in situations where the use of the drug is intermittent v. constant.

Marijuana Addiction:

Marijuana addiction is typically manifested in situations where the use of the drug is constant v. intermittent. 

So…what does this mean?

The first step in effective treatment will be to determine where the afflicted individual is falling on this spectrum of marijuana abuse – marijuana addiction. Once this has been accomplished there are two initial educationally-based directions that treatment should take.

Educating Marijuana Abusers and Marijuana Addicts - First Step in Effective Treatment

Direction 1:

If the individual is suffering more from marijuana abuse then treatment should be focused more on establishing a format for education about the effects of marijuana abuse and its impact in different areas of life – such as – social issues, physical issues, interpersonal issues, vocational and educational issues and possible legal issues.

Treatment should also be formatted to be receivable to the present belief systems of the participant. In other words; if the client is in denial about the impact the abuse pattern is having on his/her life then the educational process should not challenge the participant by enforcing the perspective that his/her life is going to end up completely upside down. This is because if treatment is confrontational and insists the marijuana abuser is inevitably going to end up homeless drinking out of a brown paper bag there is a strong likelihood the individual will completely shut down and turn away from all aspects of the treatment itself. 

If the client is not in denial of the impact of the abuse pattern then the educational process can be more specific…but it’s important in the beginning to gently introduce the concept the marijuana abuse is causing more harm than good. In this patient approach offered by the Authentic Recovery Center, we have found that many clients come around faster without having to further delve into addictive patterns and substances before they allow themselves to realize they have a substance abuse problem.

Direction 2:

If the individual is suffering from marijuana addiction then usually the treatment can be implemented a bit quicker. Most individuals, especially young adults when push comes to shove can see that their quality of life is deteriorating if they are suffering from marijuana addiction. (Just being in an alcohol and drug treatment center can be seen as one of these consequences.) So with this class of marijuana addict it is relatively simple to point out the multitude of negative consequences accumulating directly as a result of their active marijuana addiction. In this situation there are also often situations that have occurred where the afflicted has been exposed to harder illicit drugs – so the education about the progressive nature of addictive disease is usually receivable.

The Next Step in Marijuana Abuse and Marijuana Addiction Treatment

In either scenario, the next goal after the individual has been educated about the dangers of short and long-term marijuana abuse and marijuana addiction is to establish a foundation for abstinence. This usually will mean addressing components of the “counter-culture” mentality or the beliefs held around an “alternative” lifestyle. The only reason this is necessary is to address the truism that living in the United States (or elsewhere) requires people to show up responsibly for everyday life. Everyone has to work, pursue an education or develop the means to be self-supporting. The primary challenge faced for most marijuana abusers and marijuana addicts is that they haven’t practiced these principles of personal responsibility for a long time, if at they have practiced them at all.

The Authentic Recovery Center Marijuana Abuse and Addiction Program

With the Authentic Recovery Center, this is where the treatment becomes very unique. Each person, regardless of where they tested on the spectrum of abuse – addiction is further individually assessed to determine what resources (internally and externally) are required to accomplish the goal of becoming self-supporting. The ARC marijuana treatment program has established relationships with vocational schools, educational institutions and Los Angeles based companies that offer employment to newly sober substance abusers and addicts. This allows clients, with the help of their therapist, counselor and educational/vocational counselor to choose goals based on their particular passion and interests with a wide variety of opportunities readily available. The programs phase structure and locations are crucial in this endeavor. The phase structure allows clients to begin integration towards these opportunities while still in a clinically-based residential setting. The programs location allows clients to take advantage of public transportation and the ready availability of local vocational and educational resources.

Concurrently, while a simple direction in life is being implemented, the ARC marijuana treatment center integrates the client into the alumni groups and activities, outside 12-step meetings and all the exercises offered in the daily treatment curriculum; groups, individual sessions, experiential activities and outside activities.

If you need help with determining whether or not you or a loved one is experiencing marijuana abuse or marijuana addiction call 877 415 4673. Otherwise click here for an online consultation.

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